SAN FRANCISCO: Apple is planning to upgrade camera resolution and setup in iPhones, to be unveiled this year.

While the front camera would be upgraded from 7MP to 12MP, triple-camera setup would be implemented in the 6.5-inch and 5.8-inch OLED iPhones, along with a new super-wide 12MP lens, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, famous Apple expert and predictor.

Both super-wide and front camera lenses will be coated black to make them blend better with the surrounding bezel for an "inconspicuous" look, 9To5Mac reported on Saturday. Thus, it would be almost impossible to see the new lens, improving the apparent aesthetic symmetry.

The new front camera will be included in all three new 2019 iPhones, whose names remain undisclosed. Apple is expected to officially announce new iPhones in the Fall, likely at a September media event, the report noted.

Tech Treat

28 Mar, 2019

By Karan BajajApple has typically held special events for hardware. Which is why a dedicated event for services was a surprise. Of the many services that were announced, only Apple Arcade and TV+ are expected to go global at launch. Karan Bajaj decodes some of the news from the event.Image: Reuters

Turn On The TV

28 Mar, 2019

TV+ is the name for Apple’s upcoming video streaming service (think of it like a Netflix competitor) and this is what most rumours were talking about before the official announcement. This subscription will work with the new Apple TV app which will not only be available for Apple devices (iOS, Apple TV, Mac) but also for other platforms like Roku, Amazon Fire TV and smart TV platforms from Samsung, LG and Sony. The video streaming service will feature a number of exclusive shows and various celebrities came on stage at the announcement event including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, J. J Abraham, M. Night Shyamalan and Jason Momoa. Just like Apple Arcade, the TV+ service can be shared using Family Sharing with up to 6 other people in the family. Once again, no further details of the subscription fees were announced by Apple but the service will launch in 100+ countries (including India) from fall 2019.In the US, Apple is giving users the option to subscribe to TV channels like HBO and Showtime and watch them from within the Apple TV app. Users pay only for the channels they want to watch. These channels and Apple TV App will be available from May 2019 but it seems unlikely that India will get this feature in the first wave. If at all, Apple may decide on content partnerships with existing players in India like Eros Now, Zee5, Hungama and others.Image: AFP

Swipe Apple

28 Mar, 2019

This was the first service that Apple announced. Apple card is a digital credit card for your iPhone that works via Apple Pay, backed by Mastercard and Goldman Sachs. You can apply for and receive a digital card within minutes — it appears in your Wallet app. You can also apply for a fancy physical Titanium card to use in stores that don’t support Apple Pay. All your expenses show up in the app with details of location, time and amount in a clean and easy to understand format. The card also gives you a cashback of 2% on every purchase (3% on purchases from the App Store or Apple Stores). However, Apple Card will only be available in the US.Image: AFP

Stay Updated

28 Mar, 2019

Apple already offers a News app which is not available for Indian users. News+ is an upgrade to this service and has several handy features including offline downloads and access to over 300 newspapers and magazines. While the News app is available for free, the News+ service is paid — you pay US$ 9.99/month for these additional features with Family Sharing enabled. A single subscription can be shared with up to 6 family members at no extra cost. You still retain all the feature of the News app. The app learns from your reading habits and shows you relevant content of your interest the more you use it — Apple was quick to point out that this intelligence is all on your local device. They don’t know what you read and also won’t allow advertisers to track you. All news is curated by human editors and you can also set the app to autodownload the latest issue of your favorite magazine as it gets added to the catalogue. However there is no announcement for an India launch and we don’t think Apple has any plans for it either.Image: AFP

Good News For Gaming Enthusiats

28 Mar, 2019

Arcade is the name of Apple’s gaming subscription service. First and foremost, Arcade is attempting to unify gaming across all iOS devices (iPads, iPhones), Apple TV as well as Macs. While the rest of the world looks toward cloud gaming (like Google Stadia), Apple is taking a different approach. You pay a subscription fee per month/year to get access to curated games that are already available on the App Store plus Apple exclusive game titles (over 100 titles confirmed for now). You can download these games from the App Store to any device and enjoy game continuity (start playing on one device and resume on another). There will be no ads, no in-app purchases and no catch. Apple also lets you share the subscription with up to 6 family members. Further details regarding the subscription amount was not announced but Apple did say that it would launch in 150+ countries this fall. This means we can expect Arcade to be ready when the new iPhone launches in September/October 2019.Image: AFP

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